


Under Pressure

by Kylenne



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Smut, Trust Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 22:14:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10885986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kylenne/pseuds/Kylenne
Summary: All Kaidan wanted, when he was brought down by one of his infamous L2 migraines, was a bit of relief. When he found it in the most unlikely of places, though, things wouldn't ever be the same for him.





	Under Pressure

Kaidan laid down on the plush leather couch, a thick black sleeping mask insulated with cooling omni-gel shrouding his eyes and blocking out the soft backlighting of the fish tank and terminal. Even that, dim as it shone, was enough to feel like sharp knives stabbing him in the eyes.

Sometimes it was hard to tell when his headaches were just from garden-variety stress or L2 agony. They went hand-in-hand, a lot of the time, and stress always made the L2 agony worse. This particular headache started as a dull, low-level ache, the kind he was used to, and could deal with…but soon enough, the throbbing intensified. Next thing he knew, he had to excuse himself from the card game downstairs when the deep bass and thrumming beats of Cortez’s hip-hop music started feeling like a jackhammer in his head. Kaidan always felt a little guilty having to bail on people when these episodes happened, but Cortez was winning that hand anyway, so maybe it was better he quit while he was behind.

Imani saw him on his way out, and she told him to go upstairs and lie down, refusing to accept his protests that the med bay was just fine. She was always sweet like that, and he always appreciated it, even if this time it caused a stabbing pain in his chest that rivaled anything his skull could come up with. She wasn’t making it easy to keep this truce they’d struck when he was laid up in Huerta, to stay professional and focused on the mission. 

It'd be easier if she hated him, or treated him like a pariah. It’d be easier for him to keep his distance, if he still thought she was a callous, selfish cheater sleeping around for kicks, and if she still resented him for not trusting in her, and for trying to make her be someone she wasn’t. And there'd be less stress that way. Less pounding in his skull. 

Stress and its great effect on his headaches was why he was trying not to think about the fact that he was in her cabin, gone fetal on her sofa; the bed was too weird, too intimate, even if she told him it was fine and even if he was alone in there. He tried not to think about who was sharing it with her, or about the dextro toothpaste he saw in her bathroom when he took a piss, or about the turian boots he saw stashed in a corner before he put his sleeping mask on.

Take a deep breath, Alenko, he told himself. Don’t overthink things. You know it’ll just make the headache worse.

Every sound was magnified, echoing in sharp thumps at his temples. What should have been a faint whooshing sound when the door to the cabin opened seemed more like a loud screech, and he grimaced at the sharp pain that leapt from his ears to his head.

“Shepard? That you?” he asked, his voice barely more than a ragged whisper, noisy even to his own ears.

That voice that answered shocked him.

“No. It’s Thane.” 

Kaidan’s body tensed even further, and he felt his jaw clench and lock up a bit, in spite of his best efforts to head that off at the pass; a fresh wave of pain slammed into his skull, stronger than the last. “She’s not here,” he said. It sounded a lot more petulant aloud than it did in his aching head, and Kaidan was immediately embarrassed by it.

He’d wanted to hate Thane, at first. God, had he ever wanted to hate Thane Krios. There wasn’t any of that…complication with him, the way there was with Garrus.

Kaidan had history with Garrus. They were fire-forged friends, comrades, brothers-in-arms who fought Saren and the geth by each other’s side. They’d been in the proverbial trenches together more times than he could count, and had each other’s backs. They’d spent hours upon hours in the mess on the original Normandy talking shop about omni-tool mods over double-doubles from the Timmy's in Zakera Ward, and laughing at Wrex’s awful jokes.

They’d lived through Ash’s death, and then Imani’s, supporting each other through those losses.

There were a lot of long, quiet nights at the bar together after the latter, before Garrus upped and quit on his Spectre application and just vanished—pissing off to Omega, as Kaidan later learned. But all of that was why Kaidan couldn't hate Garrus for taking his place by Imani's side; he’d just felt like the turian had stabbed him through the heart, even if he now knew how irrational that feeling was. It was the kind of pain only someone you’d give your life for could cause. So…he just tried not to think about it.

But Krios? None of that applied to him. If Kaidan’s resentment and anger, his guilt and pain over everything falling apart with Imani had a face, it was drell and not turian. And it was like that for a while, especially when they found themselves serving on the Normandy together. Kaidan had no trouble at all keeping his distance that time, not from Krios. He was professional, sure; Kaidan wasn’t a child, he was a grown man, and could be civil. But he wasn’t out to make friends. Not with that cold and arrogant bastard who walked around that ship like he belonged there, like he was a genuine soldier and not some shady contract killer who didn’t care who signed his checks. Alliance, Cerberus—it didn’t matter, as long as the credits cleared. It was trivial to hate a guy like that, to blame him for turning Imani’s head, to resent him for making it even easier for her to forget about some boring boy scout who got taken out by headaches.

It stayed trivial until they ended up in an overrun Cerberus base, and Krios pulled Kaidan’s ass out of the fire. The man he’d dismissed as a heartless assassin sniped a banshee between the eyes there, and saved his life. It was hard for Kaidan to hate a guy who protected him, especially when he found out it wasn’t the first time—that Thane had been keeping an eye on him when he was stuck in Huerta, checking in on him daily when his counter-intel work for the hanar brought him to the Citadel.

After that, he kept trying to talk to Kaidan, to get to know him better. And Kaidan found that Krios wasn’t nearly as cold as he was at first glance, just quiet the way Kaidan was. When Kaidan actually talked to him, Krios stopped being the coldblooded murderer who replaced him in the heart of the woman he loved. He stopped being Krios and started being Thane, the man who lost his family and was trying to atone for his mistakes, who signed on gratis to a suicide mission because he was already dying anyway, and wanted his death to mean something. Thane wanted to make the galaxy a better place before he was gone.

And now, he was just trying to make the most of his second chance, with a couple of people who gave him something to fight and live for.

After _that_ …well…Thane didn’t make it any easier for Kaidan to accept his circumstances with Imani than she herself or Garrus did. It had become impossible to hate Thane, to treat him as a scapegoat, when he seemed to be going out of his way to be kind him.

And now?

Now, Kaidan felt like an asshole for snapping at him without any kind of provocation.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, I only came up here to feed her fish. Is it L2 complications again?” Thane asked. There was a hint of surprise in his gravelly voice, and Kaidan could tell he was trying to hide it. Pain made everything sharper, though, to Kaidan’s ears. 

If it didn’t hurt quite so much, Kaidan would have laughed at it: an assassin, feeding his girlfriend's pet fish. That was yet another thing that made it impossible to keep hating Thane—he really cared about those fish. “Yeah. Imani said I could crash here for a bit since it’s quieter than downstairs,” Kaidan said.

A long silence followed, punctuated only by the soft click of a button across the room. Kaidan hadn’t heard Thane walk over to the fish tank at all, his footsteps silent as the grave. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, quieter than even before, and not much more than a soft rumble. “Do you require assistance?” Thane asked.

Kaidan sighed. Again, with the kindness. Why couldn’t he just be a dick? “Don’t worry about it. I mean, I’ll be alright. I’m used to it,” he replied.

There was another, shorter pause than the last, before Thane spoke again, and Kaidan wondered why he was so hesitant. Maybe it was hard for him too, seeing Kaidan—the girlfriend's ex, camped in the girlfriend’s cabin. Imani wasn’t something they talked about; an unspoken agreement, terms of this truce, to keep it civil, keep the drama to a minimum. They had a war to fight, after all, and not with each other. 

“Forgive me, for bringing this up when your body is unwell. But...I know this is an awkward situation, Major Alenko. I can’t speak for Garrus, but it is for me as well. Please believe me when I say that I don’t wish to cause you any more discomfort or distress than you already feel, given the circumstances. However, if we’re to continue working together, in the face of such a terrible threat, it would behoove us to stop walking on eggshells with one another. For Imani's sake, and the sake of the mission," Thane said, finally.

Thinking was pretty hard at the moment, but even Kaidan couldn’t fault that logic, as much as he wanted to. As much as it hurt, as much as the stress triggered harder pounding in his head; even as his body went numb, even as he couldn’t stop thinking about how casual Thane was about waltzing into Imani’s cabin to feed her damn fish. It was the kind of thing she might have asked Kaidan to do, if he hadn’t been so stubborn, and just believed in her instead of listening to his own paranoia and being ruled by fear.

But there was no use dwelling on it. Kaidan fucked up, he knew he fucked up, and nothing was going to change that. He lost his chance, and Imani made that abundantly clear when he was in the hospital. She was happy, he kept telling himself. That was all that mattered, wasn’t it? That was all he wanted. For her to be happy, and loved. That was what they all wanted, right? That’s what love meant, at the end of the day.

God, his head hurt, though. His heart hurt. Everything hurt. 

Especially Thane’s kindness.

“No, you’re right. The Reapers are way bigger than relationship drama. And I appreciate your concern,” Kaidan said, barely more than whispering. He sighed again, rubbing his temples, smoothing back his hair to rest his hands atop it. “There’s just not much that can be done, when the headaches get bad like this. I just have to ride it out until they go away. Nothing really helps, at least here. Can’t exactly get acupuncture from Dr. Chakwas.”

Despite not hearing him move at all, Thane's voice was closer the next time Kaidan heard it, somewhere up and over to the right of him. Across the table, if he had to guess. “I’m no acupuncturist, but I’ve got an encyclopedic knowledge of pressure points in various species, including humans. Perhaps I can be of assistance?” 

Just how Thane ended up with that knowledge, and why, was something Kaidan didn’t especially want to think about. None of the reasons an assassin would know that were kosher, much less one with Thane’s body count. He'd seen the files Alliance intel had on him, back when Imani and her band of Cerberus hired guns were under investigation.

It was hard reconciling that with the man who spoke so softly to him now, almost pleading to help him.

But Kaidan had to reconcile it; trust had to go both ways. That was ultimately what Thane meant, when he said they needed to quit being so cagey with each other. And Kaidan recognized an olive branch when he was offered one. He’d placed his life into Thane’s hands more than once besides, and the pounding in his head wasn’t getting any better anyway. He was so miserable then that anything sounded good, even his ex’s cool, mysterious new boyfriend giving him a pressure point massage.

“Sure thing,” Kaidan said. “Just tell me what to do.”

Thane’s voice was beside him then. How did he move so fast, and so quietly? “Can you sit up?” he asked.

Kaidan did so, slowly, trying to keep his head still but wincing at every minor movement, as each one set off fresh waves of throbbing pain. He didn’t dare take the eye mask off, worried that the light would sting too hard again. 

What a trust exercise, he thought to himself, with a self-deprecating grimace. Blindfolded, with his back turned to a drell assassin who probably knew every way there was to kill a human with his bare hands. Then he felt said drell hands rest on his bare shoulders, warm and firm. It was...pleasant, Kaidan thought. Maybe he wasn't expecting it--maybe he thought they'd be ice cold, the way an assassin had to be. 

“My intent is not to harm you in any way. Let me know if there's too much pressure. And remember to breathe,” Thane instructed, rumbling low and soft in Kaidan’s ear. His voice sent an involuntary shiver across Kaidan’s skin, raising goosebumps of all things. That made his head hurt for an entirely different reason.

Breathing might be hard, if Thane kept talking like that.

It wasn't helped when he felt Thane’s hands slide down the back of his tank top, smoothing out the rumpled cotton fabric; he had to remember that admonishment, forcing air into his lungs. Kaidan tensed up, not expecting it, or the impossible smoothness of drell hands. Thane's fingers probed lightly until he found Kaidan’s spine, and then Kaidan felt two firm impressions on either side of it, at the center of his back. Slowly, Thane walked his thumbs up and down both sides, one finger after the other, while keeping the pressure even and steady, gentle but firm.

It was like heaven. Kaidan breathed, as he was told, and as he exhaled, he felt the knots of tension in the center of his back start to melt away, the stiff muscles and tendons relaxing beneath firm and precise massaging. Thane’s fingers were deft and agile, and his hands so much stronger than they looked. Thumbs swirled little circular motions up and down the pressure points hugging his spine, uncoiling Kaidan like a spring. His bones practically turned to liquid from it, and he couldn't help sinking deeper into the leather cushions of the sofa. The relief was palpable, like his muscles could breathe again; almost immediately, a cooling sensation flowed up his spine into his head. Already, he could feel the pounding in his head begin to lessen a bit in intensity. 

“How does this feel?” Thane asked softly. One after the other, he gripped Kaidan by one of his shoulders, and massaged along that same path with the other hand, little circular motions with his fingertips.

Kaidan exhaled long and hard through his nose, letting out an involuntary whimper; he couldn’t help himself, and he wasn't sure if it was from Thane's tight grip on his shoulder, or the welcome relaxation spreading through him. Either way, he felt like he would melt into Thane’s hands, and it felt so damn good he didn't even want to question it, for once. The part of him that would have balked at this, at letting a man who replaced him in his lover's bed massage him like this...that was shut up fairly easily. No way could Kaidan overthink this, not with how good the guy's hands were at chipping away at a bonafide L2 migraine.

And not with how unbearably hot he sounded, breathing into Kaidan's ear. It was hard to think of much of anything else, then. It was one more of those things that made it hard to hate Thane.

“Feels amazing,” was all Kaidan managed in response, with a content sigh.

He felt Thane’s fingers work their way up and down his neck, then, inching toward the base of his skull, and when they planted into those pressure points it was like a steam valve was loosening in his head, opening up to release the pressure trapped inside. Kaidan's head drooped a little more each time, as his neck relaxed with each movement of Thane's fingers running through his thick hair, stroking firm circles. It was getting more bearable, that persistent throbbing. He didn't feel like there was a jackhammer in there anymore.

But then Kaidan tensed back up a bit, for another, entirely different reason, when he felt Thane's fingers drift back down, dangerously close to the nape of his neck. Dangerous, because he was especially sensitive there. Before he could say anything though, Thane was rubbing it, and his eyes fluttered involuntarily, and he was damned grateful for the mask, and his back being turned. 

"Your implant?" he heard Thane ask, as fused drell fingers pet the spot in idle curiosity, in just the right way to spark tingles of heat through the sensitive cluster of nerve endings there, hooked into that damned L2. It wasn't the heat of pain, either, not by any stretch.

Kaidan’s breath hitched, the reply caught in his throat; his blood went flooding south, straight into his sweatpants. He silently cursed himself for it. It was one thing to quietly enjoy the side benefits of a hot alien with firm hands and a sexy voice trying to cure his migraine. He'd have been lying if he said he hadn't been enjoying it a bit too much, even before Thane inadvertently discovered the most common erogenous zone for human biotics. But it was quite another to get hard from it. Especially when the alien in question was dating his ex.

This was the exact opposite of keeping things drama-free and professional.

"Yeah, the good old L2. Source of my everlasting delight," Kaidan said, hoping dearly that his voice was thick enough with sarcasm to disguise the want. All he could think of was Thane's lips following his fingers.

"Your pulse is racing. Are you alright?" Thane asked softly, wrapping his hands around the back of Kaidan's neck, warm and smooth and strong, and not helping in the slightest.

This is Thane Krios, Kaidan reminded himself, firmly, trying cool down his hot blood. Commander Shepard's assassin boyfriend. Your ex's boyfriend. And you’re in her cabin, on her couch. You can't be getting off on this, Alenko. Not after the things you said to her. You really want to be a hypocrite?

"Kaidan?" 

None of his internal protests mattered when that rumbling drell voice purred his name, deep and smooth into his ear, settling into his liquified bones. Instead, his thoughts began to race like his pulse, even as he felt the faint echo of his pounding heart in his temples. Kaidan suddenly wondered what that voice must sound like when Thane lost his cool composure and sense of self-control. He thought of what it might take to make Thane lose it like that, the way no one but lovers never saw.  

Kaidan wondered what Thane's voice would sound like, moaning his name with hot, ragged breath against his skin as he came.

And his dick got harder. For fuck's sake.

"Yeah," Kaidan lied through clenched teeth. Blessedly--or not--Kaidan felt a sudden coldness against his skin, as Thane's hands moved away.

"I'll have to remove your mask, to reach the points on your face. May I?"

"Sure, go ahead," Kaidan replied with a mild tremor in his voice. He took deep, calming breaths, trying to focus on that feeling of relaxation in his spine. His headache was dissipating. That was the point of all this. Not...any of that other crap.

He heard the faint rustle of leather upon leather and felt the cushion in front of him shift a bit. Slowly, he felt the satin fabric lift up over his closed eyes, tiny pinpricks of light prodding at his shut lids. It was instinctual, this sudden knot of fear in his gut; the migraines always made him intensely photosensitive, and it was why he always slept with a mask regardless of his pain levels at a given time. He was afraid to open his eyes, and of the agony that was sure to follow.

But Kaidan had to trust Thane. His pressure point manipulation had relieved immense tension, taken the edge off his pain, in a way nothing else ever had, at least so quickly. And Kaidan had tried everything, like most L2s. Not even the traditional Chinese doctor he saw in Vancouver, at the insistence of his old-fashioned mother, worked this quickly with his acupuncture needles or herbs. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to open his eyes, this time.

Kaidan did, tentatively, with agonizing slowness, trying to acclimate his pupils. The cabin was still lit fairly dimly...and he didn't feel that telltale sting, jabbing into his eyeballs. No pain at all, not one bit.

What he did feel, despite all the thousands of reasons it was a terrible idea, was his skin growing flushed and warm at the sight of Thane seated in front of him, a slender, toned leg sheathed in tight, black leather bent just so, his thigh resting on the sofa. The vest he wore, black trimmed with gray, left most of his chest exposed--a good bit of chiseled pecs and all. It was distracting as hell, and Kaidan pulled his eyes away, focusing firmly on the drell's face.

That might have been a mistake, too. It wasn’t that Kaidan had never checked him out before. Hell, it was easy to see what Imani saw in him: body of a Greek god, cheekbones of a runway model, and what the regulars at Kaidan's favorite gay bar on Luna used to call dick sucking lips. Kaidan might have been jealous, but he was still bi, and had a pulse. He could appreciate eye candy, even in somebody he wanted badly to hate. That Thane wasn't human didn't matter at all, either. Kaidan was an open-minded sort of guy, and there was something to be said for alien beauty.

The thing was, Kaidan had never really looked at Thane before. At least, not so closely as to look into his eyes. They were like pools of liquid black from a distance, but up this close, Kaidan could make out a faint hint of green irises, even in the dimness of the light. They were…beautiful. Soulful. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a bit lightheaded, looking into them too long. And…maybe it was just the heat of his own blood putting unwanted ideas into his head again, but Kaidan thought he saw a hint of smolder there.

Didn't help his pants situation much.

"Shall I continue?" Thane asked, and Kaidan's eyes fixed on those thick lips forming around every syllable like it was the most riveting thing in the galaxy. Damn, his mouth was distracting.

"Please," Kaidan said, low and soft. That time he didn't care about the want that crept into it, deepening his tone.

Thane's lips curved into a faint smile, at the corner of his distracting mouth, and he lifted his hands to Kaidan's face, forming a triangle with his fused fingers pressed against each temple, rubbing once again in that firm, circular motion. Kaidan felt his eyelids grow heavy, his own lips parting slightly, as the jolts of pain throbbing in his nerve endings were slowly massaged into submission. Thane's touch was like nothing he'd felt before.

When the drell stretched a single finger of each hand to lightly massage the inner corners of Kaidan's brow bones, he shut his eyes again, basking in that sensation of comfort spreading through his head. Thane paused for a moment, each of his fingertips pressing firmly on each of the pressure points they'd been working on Kaidan's face, but not harshly; the perfect amount, to release the tension without setting off more pain.

Kaidan had somehow sunk deeper into the cushions, melting into Thane's hands like warm putty, and then he felt himself fall a bit forward, leaning into it. If his anxious mind were at all paying attention to it, he'd have freaked out and pulled away. But Thane had lulled him into a state of relaxed bliss, heightened by the edge of desire; his hands drifted behind Kaidan's head again, fingers curling once more into his hair, massaging down his neck, and Kaidan’s blood started getting hot again. 

It was charged, the way Thane touched him. Kaidan felt it now that his headache had mostly subsided, and he was mainly throbbing elsewhere. He wondered if he was just imagining the faint, lingering caresses as smooth fingertips slid down the back of his neck. Maybe he was reading too much into it, and it was just wishful thinking with his pants. It'd been a long time since anyone had touched Kaidan like that, after all, with a simmering erotic undercurrent. Too long.

And he knew himself, knew how hard it was to make himself vulnerable like this...how much it turned him on, just letting go. Pleasure flowed down his spine, alongside relief, and he squirmed a bit against the leather cushion. It was getting harder to pretend he didn't want a happy ending to this massage.

He wondered if Thane was doing it on purpose, and when he opened his eyes to meet Thane’s gaze, there was no questioning the smolder that time. Nor was there a question that this was no longer a pressure point massage...not when Thane's hands drifted down to massage his neck, squeezing his shoulders, eschewing the pinpoint accuracy of before, fingers teasing the edges of his tank top's straps, threatening to slip beneath them but never quite doing it.

If there were any lingering questions, they got answered when Kaidan glanced down Thane's body, and caught an eyeful of thick bulge straining at the crotch of those leather pants.

Kaidan wasn't the only one enjoying this, clearly.

It was crazy, if he thought about it too much. Just like it was if he thought about how Thane couldn't possibly have stroked his implant spot without knowing what it would do to him--Imani's was just the same way, he had to have known. Everything about this was crazy, if he thought about it. Sitting in Imani's cabin, with Thane Krios, was crazy--this was the guy who swooped in almost as soon as Kaidan's back was turned to her, replacing him like he meant nothing to her at all…and the guy he contemptuously called a professional killer the day he fought with Imani from a hospital bed. He'd demanded to know how Imani could trust a man like that, then.

And now Kaidan trusted Thane so easily, even if it was because the pain made him a little bit desperate, now he was getting off on the way he touched him, craving it like a drug...it was crazy.

And maybe, Kaidan started to understand what Thane meant, when he talked about the way drell separated mind and body. Kaidan thought it was just a copout before, to justify an unjustifiable profession. But now? Kaidan's mind, which knew damn well how ludicrous this all was, had been overridden by pure lust. Now, Kaidan's body was quivering, heart pounding in his ears, his mouth gone dry, his dick hard as a rock. His body was missing the memo about how crazy this was, moving forward of its own volition, hovering inches from Thane.

Truth be told, thinking about it too much was the last thing on his mind. It just felt too damned good, and Kaidan was too damned horny to care. All he could think about was Thane's hands, that perfect, sultry mouth, and everything he wanted them to do.

Everything.

Kaidan's tongue slipped between Thane's thick, pouting lips, plunging into the drell's mouth, hard, hot, and deep. He felt Thane tense up for only a brief second, but then he yielded, breath heavy and hot as Kaidan's, meeting Kaidan's tongue with his own, hand sliding back up to the nape of Kaidan's neck to grab him by the scruff. If there were any lingering doubt that Thane wanted him, it was obliterated by the hunger of that kiss, how his teeth caught Kaidan's bottom lip with a soft moan when they came up for air, by his fist forcing Kaidan's head back, exposing his neck. Thane's lips and tongue eased down Kaidan's throat, licking and sucking hard at his sensitive flesh, nipping at his skin with teasing hints of teeth. That got a moan from it, vibrating against Thane's hungry mouth.

"God, Thane," Kaidan sighed, sinking into him.

“Your headache?” Thane quipped wryly, quirking his ridged brow, resting his hands on Kaidan's shoulders, thumbs rubbing light, teasing touches.

“Mostly gone. You’ve got good hands,” Kaidan said, with a faint smile. "Better mouth."

"I swear this was not my intention, when I offered my aid," Thane said, raking his fingers through Kaidan's hair. "All I wanted was to relieve your pain. I wasn't trying to seduce you, Kaidan."

"Well, you did," Kaidan said.

"Which?" Thane asked dryly.

"Take your pick," Kaidan answered, smirking. He spread his legs a bit a wider, shamelessly grabbing himself between muscled thighs, openly staring at Thane with smoldering eyes full of challenge. He couldn't remember the last time he was this hard, needing anyone this much.

"You realize that if we do this, Imani must know. We keep no secrets from one another, nor from Garrus, as it should be. Our relationship was founded on openness and honesty," Thane said. He added, with a faint hint of self-deprecation, “this will complicate matters."

"You complicated them the minute you put your hands on me," Kaidan retorted, with a hint of a snicker in his voice. "It's a bit late for worrying, after a kiss like that."

Those big black eyes were gleaming, thick with undisguised lust as Thane openly ogled him. "You kept your mask on. It wasn't because of the light," Thane said, stroking that sensitive spot where his implant was, sending fresh tingles down his spine.

“…Put it back on,” Kaidan said.

Thane gazed at him intently. “Are you certain this is what you want?”

“You wanted to soothe my aches, didn't you? So soothe them. I can take the heat, if it comes. I’ll cross that bridge when we get there,“ Kaidan said. He swallowed hard, his eyelids heavy. "Don't make me beg, Krios," he said, squeezing himself hard, body taut and filled with want.

The last thing Kaidan saw was Thane’s thick, luscious lips curving into a sensual smile, as he slipped the sleeping mask back over Kaidan’s eyes.

Then it was Thane's turn to find Kaidan's mouth, hungrily parting his lips with a hot tongue. Kaidan felt him kiss his way down his throat again, his tongue leaving a moist trail up and down, and he trailed along to his ear. "Can you blame me for wanting you?" Thane purred into his ear, low and thick with lust, before he bit the earlobe. "You're a beautiful man, Kaidan."

He felt hands sliding up underneath the back of his tank top, massaging his tight back muscles, and sighed in blissful content. "You really think so?" Kaidan asked.

Thane tensed up against him, his hands freezing in place for a moment, but before Kaidan could ask if he was alright, the drell began speaking directly into his ear in a low, rapid monotone: "I enter starboard observation, restless, looking for another book to occupy my mind. My eyes are drawn from the shelf to Major Alenko instead, sprawled upon the lounger, dozing comfortably with an empty glass bearing little more than dew stains of water within, held loosely in his hands along with a datapad. I approach quietly, not wishing to disturb him, and gently pry glass and device loose by turns, resting them upon the table beside him. I should take my leave, permit him his rest, but I stay a moment, my gaze helplessly transfixed upon him, lingering upon the pouting shape of his lips, thick brows perfectly framing narrow eyes shut in repose, the tiny lashes brushing against flawless cheeks of warm bronze hue. My eyes wander the length of his body, along every tight muscle of his chiseled arms, following the curve of his back, his hips. They linger upon his magnificent, shapely rear, thick and tight and hugged so beautifully by his uniform, even half-obscured. His broad chest rises and falls with the slow rhythm of peaceful breath. My own grows tight, the air caught in my throat, and I no longer have my illness to blame. Gazing upon him thusly I can think of nothing else but a figure of which I've read in human myth: Endymion, the beautiful dreamer, beloved of a goddess. My siha is nothing less to me. I see why Kaidan was beloved of her. I wish to stay, to caress his brow, to press my lips against his. I wish to guard his rest. I leave, instead, returning bereft to Life Support, haunted by thoughts of him."

Kaidan felt his face grow hot, warmth spreading across his cheeks. Thane's voice was hypnotic, lulling him into a zen-like state, but it was his words that raised goosebumps along his arm, as much as that purring growl. It wasn't every day that someone recalled in precise detail exactly how they checked him out, and in such poetic fashion.

"Well. I guess when you put it like that," Kaidan said, chuckling softly.

He heard Thane inhale deeply, and felt hot breath caressing his neck. "Whatever you desire, I will give. What do you wish of me?" Thane asked.

"Everything," Kaidan said.

He felt Thane's lips upon his own once more, and was then gently shifted; he allowed himself to be turned around, and was pulled back against Thane, sinking back into the leather cushions with him. His shrouded eyes nearly rolled back in his head, when he felt Thane's mouth on the back of his neck, finding the sensitive implant spot with soft lips and a tongue swirling tiny circles before licking it hard, and drifted kisses along the back of his neck, his shoulders.

And then Thane eased him back to rest against him with those strong hands; as Kaidan relaxed against his chest, they slipped beneath the hem of his shirt, smooth and warm against his skin, caressing his abs, drifting their way up his torso, massaging his chiseled pecs.

"Damn that feels good," Kaidan muttered quietly, as he felt deft fingers pinch his nipples, sending fresh waves of pleasure down his spine, bulge twitching in his pants.

"I'm glad. You're only the second human I've ever done this with," Thane said, then nibbled his ear.

Hearing him say that, the implication of those words, the reminder of who his first human was...it should have tweaked a pang of jealousy in Kaidan. It was the kind of thing that usually would have. Strangely, he didn't feel that familiar sting now. Maybe it was overpowered by sheer lust. Now, all Kaidan felt at it was curiosity.

"You knew about that implant spot. Hers is sensitive too," Kaidan said. It wasn't accusatory, just a statement of fact, driven by that curiosity.

The faint, low chuckle that vibrated in his ear at that was playfully sensual, and hot as hell. Kaidan thought he might come just from hearing it enough. He never knew he had a voice kink before, but, well, you learn something new every day. 

"Forgive me," Thane breathed into his ear. "I suspected it might be for you as well, but couldn't be certain. And the temptation was too great. I'm a weak man, I suppose. It was inappropriate of me, and I apologize."

So it _was_ on purpose. Kaidan laughed suddenly, at how contrite he was. As if he had anything to apologize for. And maybe that laughter was a bit self-deprecating, as Kaidan thought back to how dishonorable he once thought Thane was. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and Kaidan was never so glad to be proven wrong about someone.

"You sure you're not Canadian too?" Kaidan teased him. "Look, you offered to make me feel better, and you sure as hell did. I'd rather like it to continue, if you don't mind. Your hands are better than any painkiller I've ever taken." 

"Very well. Far be it from me to deny you relief," Thane said, kissing his ear. Kaidan felt a hand slide back down his torso, with agonizing slowness, emerging from beneath his tank top, only to slip down into his sweatpants. With senses heightened in the darkness, every movement of Thane's hands against Kaidan's skin was so much more visceral. Fused fingers teased caresses along the edge of his elastic waistband, snapping it lightly against his skin with a satisfying sting, and Thane's hand spread against the tight muscle of his inner thigh, smooth and hot, again teasing at the edge of his briefs with fingertips. It was the sweetest kind of agony, being toyed with like that, and he was squirming hard, spreading his knees wider, sprawling open in blatant invitation. Kaidan's breath hitched, caught in his throat when Thane's hand rested at last on his rock hard bulge, stroking him through the cotton fabric, groping and squeezing him.

"God, Thane," Kaidan moaned, his blood racing, his dick seemingly harder than it'd ever been, rolling his hips up in desperate need of friction. 

"Tell me you want this," Thane breathed into his ear, low and dark with a hint of a growl, as he massaged his dick through the fabric. Kaidan felt the other hand, still riding up his tank top, squeezing his pecs, pinching his nipple hard between thumb and forefinger.

"Do it," Kaidan growled.

Thane's hand slipped into the elastic waist band, freeing Kaidan from the restrictive fabric. Fingers coiled around the base of his shaft in a near vice grip; he nearly cried out, his eyes clamping shut tighter beneath their shroud, when he felt Thane's fist start to jerk up and down, pumping his dick with long, hard strokes. Instead, he moaned incoherently, hips grinding of their own volition to meet his rhythm. But then he felt the other hand leave his shirt, and it tightened hard over his mouth to silence him.

It drove Kaidan mad, his heart pounding wildly, blood hot and racing like nothing else. Blindfolded, his sounds of pleasure smothered by Thane's strong hand, he was truly at the assassin's mercy now. If he didn't trust him before, he had no choice now. And surrendering to that--to Thane, just letting go...it turned him on even more than the massage did. It was so easy to lose himself in it. There was only darkness and pleasure, coaxed from him in fierce, quickening strokes; Thane forced his head to the side, and he felt lips and teeth on his neck again, coaxing a soft, muffled cry of pleasure from him. And it was so easy, as the tension built and pressure mounted in his dick, better than anything that plagued his skull, to want to lose himself entirely, to fuck Thane's hand until he came all over it. God, Kaidan wanted to do it.

But that wasn't all he wanted. He didn't know if he'd give himself permission again, if the desire that drove him mad and silenced all his inner doubts would ever do it again like this. He wanted more than this, as amazing as it felt. A thousand filthy thoughts raced through Kaidan's mind as Thane jerked him off. He wanted to be sucked off by those juicy drell lips, he wanted to be pinned to a wall and fucked into it. He wanted so many things he couldn't give voice to, even if he hadn't been silenced.

Kaidan wanted Thane. Badly.

"Thane," he moaned into the drell's hand, muffled by scales slick with sweat.

"Yes?" Thane whispered, biting his ear again. The grip on his mouth loosened, just enough for him to speak, but Thane held the hand there lightly over it still.

"Fuck me," Kaidan growled, then impulsively reached out blindly with his tongue to lick Thane's sweaty fingers and take them into his mouth by turns to suck them, lingering on the fused ones. He had some real interesting thoughts about those.

"What if Imani sees us having sex on her couch?" Thane asked, his tone marked by mild amusement. But the question, the idea of it...Kaidan shuddered in his grasp, moaning, jerking his hips up, his body suddenly threatening to combust at the very thought of it.

If only.

But for once, Kaidan managed to think with his brain instead of his throbbing dick. "The shower," he panted, his breath ragged with lust. 

"An excellent idea, for many reasons," Thane purred in reply. Kaidan reached up, groping for his sleeping mask, but he felt Thane's hands cover them tightly. “Leave it. I’ll guide you," Thane said.

Kaidan didn’t even protest. He didn’t want to, the idea of enflaming him even more; his vulnerability deepened, putting his faith in Thane despite all the reservations he once had…again, it seemed like Thane was stirring yearnings in him he didn’t even know he had. Thane gently eased him upright, and he felt a brief, cooling breeze behind him, weight shifting from the sofa. He sat up, and felt Thane’s hands upon his own once more, caressing them before taking them gently into their grasp.

“I won’t lead you to harm,” Thane began softly, “only to pleasure. Do you trust me?”

The answer to Thane’s question came unbidden to Kaidan’s lips, without a moment’s hesitation: “Yes.”

A month and a half ago, it would have been a very different answer. Back in that hospital bed in Huerta, Kaidan only thought of Thane as another of the unsavory characters Imani rolled in the gutter with, when she’d gone rogue. He wasn’t just a professional killer, or even just the man who’d swooped into replace Kaidan—he was a living sign of how hard and far the loyal and honorable Commander Shepard had fallen from grace, dragged into the gutter by Cerberus.

Fighting a war together had a way of changing a man’s outlook, though. And looking back, Kaidan had to admit that his feelings on Thane probably began shifting, deep down, when Cerberus attacked the Citadel. He just hadn’t realized it at the time, stuck as he was on the need for a scapegoat for all his Imani-related regrets. But on the Citadel, Kaidan saw that professional killer use his assassin’s skill to save Councilor Valern's life. Protecting the Council was part of Kaidan’s own sworn duty, as a Spectre, but it was something Thane took on without hesitation—not because of any oath he took, but only because it was right. Then, Thane treated Kaidan with respect and dignity, despite the awkwardness of their situation, despite the cold civility with which Kaidan treated him in kind. The assassin, it turned out, was much warmer than he let on. In combat, they’d found a rhythm together, working their biotics in tandem, becoming a lethal duo at Imani’s flank. And Thane saved Kaidan’s life, more times than he could count; that Cerberus base on Noveria was just the start. Then, he was a fire-forged comrade, just like Garrus.

Now, Kaidan clasped his hands tightly, trembling with desire, trusting Thane in ways he never would have thought possible. Wanting him, in ways he never thought possible. And as he rose up off the sofa and to his feet, aided by him, Kaidan wondered about the memory Thane shared with him, in that uncanny drell way. Had Thane been reaching out to him for Imani’s sake, or his own? Both?

There’d be plenty of time to talk about it in the future; Kaidan would cross that bridge when they came to it, like he'd told him. Crossing Imani’s cabin would be enough, for the time being.

Kaidan took a tentative step forward, feeling the edge of the coffee table graze his sweatpants, at his shin, and shifted his body away from it, turning slightly. With his arms stretched out before him, gently guided by Thane, he put one foot in front of the other, slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. Surrendering to trust, literally putting himself in Thane’s hands, he followed the drell blindly into the unknown, with silent yearning. 

“Step up,” Thane instructed him, and Kaidan nodded, lifting a foot up onto the short stair that marked the boundary to the front of the cabin, where Imani’s desk was. He felt himself turned rightward, led into a half circle forward, then straight on. He heard the quiet whoosh of a door opening in front of him, and though it was smaller than the big one leading inside the cabin itself, and naturally quieter, it still didn’t trigger any pain in Kaidan’s head, the way the other did.

He took a breath and followed across the threshold, hearing it slide shut behind him; one of Thane’s hands fell away, and he heard a light tapping on the wall, and the telltale buzzing click of the security lock. Kaidan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment about, that Imani wouldn’t catch them in the act, after all.

When the hell did he become such an exhibitionist, anyway?

Kaidan didn’t dwell on the internal, self-deprecating question, not when Thane released his other hand, and he felt a slight tugging at the hem of his tank top, a silent command; Kaidan lifted his arms obediently, and felt his shirt slide up and over his head, not even managing to disturb his eye mask. Soft hands slid down his torso, tugging the drawstring of his sweats loose; they, and his briefs, were pulled down off him in one fell swoop, and he stepped out of them, kicking them to the side with his foot.

Naked, and vulnerable, blindfolded, Kaidan stood there, in the bathroom; he shivered a bit, and then he felt welcome heat on him—the heat of Thane’s body, pouring off in waves against his skin, circling him. He swallowed hard, his mouth dry. “Like what you see?”

“Indeed,” Thane murmured his approval. Kaidan didn’t feel hands on him again, though; just eyes, the unmistakable feeling of being watched. His dick swelled even harder then, the tip brushing against his lower abs.

It made him bold, again. “I want to see you, like this,” Kaidan said, his hand drifting downward.

To his mild surprise, Thane agreed to it. “Very well,” he said.

A pair of thumbs brushed against the sides of Kaidan’s eyes, hooking into the straps to hoist the mask up slowly, black satin slipping up his lids to just barely unshroud his eyes, at last resting upon Kaidan’s brows. The light in the bathroom was really dim, but it was enough to see Thane smiling at him, his dark eyes gleaming with undisguised lust. He pulled away from him, towards the shower. 

Kaidan leaned with a shoulder against the wall, eyes narrowed, dick in hand, and stared intently at Thane as he disrobed. Thane was making a show of it too, his glossy black eyes never leaving Kaidan’s. With slow, deliberate movements, he pulled down the zipper of his vest, and shrugged it off. One by one, he slipped out of his boots, and Kaidan was floored by how he moved with such lithe grace.

It was a wonderful striptease, especially when he got to his pants. “Tease” became the operative word then, as he hooked his thumbs into the waist of his leather pants, slipping them down just enough to reveal the chiseled lines of his hip bones, with a trio of black markings striping his scales upon each side. But Thane turned his back to Kaidan then, and slowly slid the leather down. 

Kaidan savored every second of it, languidly stroking his hand up and down his dick, as he watched Thane’s taut, shapely ass reveal itself in all its glory. He’d always been something of an ass man—he was proud of his own, and maybe it was a bit of uncharacteristic vanity that always made him curious and eager to notice others. Thane’s was incredible, round and pert and tightly muscled. When he bent over slowly, to peel his pant legs down and lose them the rest of the way, he looked like some kind of homoerotic ancient Greek statue. Kaidan tightened his grip on himself, so tempted to toss aside the whole plan, keep Thane bent over like that, and spread him open, penetrating him deep. He glanced down, and caught sight of Thane’s hole, stretched slightly, like he was no stranger to it; he wouldn’t need much prep, either. It drove Kaidan mad thinking about it, what it would be like to be inside him, and he bit his lip, imagining it.

That thought, pleasant as it was however, got obliterated when Thane slowly turned back around to face Kaidan, and he was treated to an eyeful of his naked body, tight and fit, a veritable green Adonis with slick scales and taut, defined muscles. Kaidan openly ate the eye candy as it were, fondling himself shamelessly, as his eyes trailed down Thane’s rippling ab muscles to the object of his desire. Not even Fornax could have prepared him for that sight: what had to be at least twenty-nine, maybe even thirty centimeters of completely rigid dick rising up from between powerfully muscled thighs to brush against Thane's belly. It was thick, and colorful, not green like his scales but a rainbow gradient, nearly sky blue at the base, where it emerged from his ridged cloaca—his sac wasn’t visible, and Kaidan thought drell might have it tucked away inside, the way turians did—but then turned shades of deep mauve, getting lighter. And there were raised ridges spiraling gracefully up the shaft, all the way to the dusky pale violet tip, almost like a corkscrew.

Kaidan’s body grew tight and he squeezed himself, clenching tighter, when he thought about the effect those ridges might have inside of him.

Thane blinked slowly at him, with heavy double lids. “Satisfied?” he asked, as his hand twisted up and down those beautiful spirals, mirroring Kaidan’s movements.

“Mmm. Not yet,” Kaidan said.

Thane smirked rather wickedly, and crossed the distance between them, standing so close that Kaidan could feel hot breath against his cheeks again. Lifting his hands, he eased the mask back down over Kaidan’s eyes, shrouding his vision in darkness again. “Let’s see to that then, shall we?” Thane whispered to him, stealing a quick, fleeting kiss.

Helpless once again, coiled tight like a spring with want, Kaidan could only place himself into Thane’s capable hands again. A moment passed, and he heard a sudden burst of running water nearby, like driving rain. Once more, Thane took him by the hand, and Kaidan followed him, compelled by desire, stepping together into the shower. And once more, Kaidan heard the telltale whoosh of a sliding door closing ominously behind him.

The water was hot against his skin a bit but not enough to scald; just enough to make the air thick with rising steam and moisture, filling Kaidan’s lungs with heat. And the pressure was a far cry better than the weak showers on the crew deck, the spray from the head was wide and sharp enough to pleasantly sting; perks of being the commander, he supposed.

Kaidan felt Thane’s hands firmly push him back against the wall, the cool steel sending shivers down his back, and a multitude of kisses followed, up and down every inch of his chest, every muscle worshiped with abandon by soft lips and a warm tongue and smooth, purposeful hands. It was unpredictable too, Thane’s caresses not nearly as composed or deliberate as when they were laying on the couch. The sudden sensation of teeth grazing his nipple was quickly followed by hands stroking his inner thighs, and a tongue pressed hard into his neck. On this went, a chaotic jumble of competing sensations.

“You’re so beautiful,” Thane said, a breathless whisper exhaled like one of his prayers against Kaidan’s wet skin, between hungry kisses. He never would have guessed there was so much passion pent up and buried beneath the surface of the cool assassin, always in control, but Thane showed it in spades, all over Kaidan’s body.

Maybe they were alike, that way.

He felt a warm, wet tongue drawing lazy circles around his nipples, down his chest, into a single slow, hard lick trailing down the treasure trail of chest hair leading down Kaidan’s abs. He rested his head back against the wall, inhaling hot steam, his heart racing faster and faster, the lower that tongue drifted. He felt wet lips pressing against his thighs by turns, kissing and sucking them, drifting from one to the other, but never lingering in the center. What a tease Thane was being. It was driving Kaidan crazy, but in the best sort of way.

Hands smoothed down his sides, fingers indented deep into his hips, his ass. Then he felt the tip of a tongue, fleeting, against the swollen tip of his dick. Kaidan couldn’t help it; he whimpered, aloud, rather pitifully at that. All he heard in response was a dark, rumbling chuckle from somewhere below.

It really was maddening, the way Thane teased him; sharp, playful flicks of his curling tongue against him, tip to tip. Kaidan spread his legs wide in invitation, leaning back, bracing himself, beckoning Thane to take what they both wanted.

Then, he did.

A long, deep moan escaped Kaidan’s throat, as he felt Thane’s lips slide around the tip, suckling it hard and slow, as a hand gripped the base of his shaft, and began to twist up and down. He felt a second hand on his sack, massaging it as Thane worked him over with his tongue, firm and hard against his length, licking down to his hand and back, the competing sensations causing Kaidan’s masked eyes to roll back into his head yet again. No longer teasing, Thane got to agile business, hands sliding up to grip his thighs, and deftly sucked Kaidan down deeper into his mouth with each press of his lips, until he was well and truly enveloped by it.

Nobody in Kaidan's life had ever given him head like this. Not even Imani, though she came damn close. Maybe it was the blindfold, intensifying the sensations, but Kaidan rested back against the wall, exhaling deep and hard through his nose, losing himself in it, as hot water sprayed hard against his skin, welcome heat seeped into his muscles, and his dick was taken over and over again inside a pliant, eager mouth full of even more heat, and hunger. He tried grinding into Thane’s mouth, pumping into it for more friction, but the drell had him well and truly pinned to the shower wall, held perfectly still in a death grip by his deceptively strong hands. Thane was in control, here, and Kaidan was just a passenger along for the ride of his life. So he held on, reaching down to find the top of Thane’s head, scales smooth and slick with the hot water that rained down on them both, and Kaidan stroked it with his hand, fingers toying with the fringe on the crest, biting his lower lip as Thane sucked him off.

Kaidan could have stayed that way for hours, melting on Thane’s tongue, savoring the wet heat of his mouth, and the delicious suction up and down the shaft of his dick, pleasure swelling, surging up his spine. It was more than even his fevered imagination on the couch could have dreamed up; he thought he might die of pure bliss. Thane took him in so deep that Kaidan’s tip was hitting the back of his throat with each stroke.

He gasped, his fingers curled tightly in Thane’s frills, when Thane sent a vibrating sensation up the length of his shaft, throat abuzz with soundless rumbling. Kaidan’s body tensed up tightly, his toes curling, and he grit his teeth, fighting his way back from the precipice he was about to careen over, ready to burst straight down his purring throat. But not yet. Not before--

“Wait,” Kaidan panted, and pushed Thane’s head away, with herculean effort. He felt a sudden, agonizing coldness, as the heat that engulfed him was quickly gone.

“What is it?” Thane asked.

Kaidan laughed a little sheepishly. “Didn’t want to come, yet. Nearly did,” he admitted.

The impression of body heat against him rose up higher, up his legs and chest, and the flow of hot water against him got choppier. He felt that hard, toned body pressed up tightly against him, scales slick with mingled sweat and water.

“You want me inside you, don’t you?” Thane whispered against his lips, hot, heavy breath warm against Kaidan’s mouth, hands sliding back around his waist and down, to take firm grip of his ass, thumbs digging into the dimples. He wasn’t the only one who wanted it, either. Kaidan felt it then, Thane’s enormous dick, thick and hard, rubbing rough ridges against his thigh, and his mouth at his neck.

“God yes,” Kaidan moaned. “I need it—you.”

“Then you shall have me,” Thane breathed into his throat.

 

Kaidan felt Thane pull away for a moment, and heard the telltale tapping sounds of holographic omni-tool buttons, soft low beeping. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Hold out your hands. Palms up,” Thane said.

Though he was more than a little confused, Kaidan did so anyway, and felt a warm, gel-like substance pour slowly into his hands. Wait, was that—? 

“You keep lube in your omni-tool?” Kaidan asked incredulously.

“A necessity, when one counts Garrus Vakarian as a lover,” Thane said dryly.

Now there was a mental image. More of those Fornax vids went playing in his fevered mind, the turian ones. And strangely, he felt a twinge of jealousy—but for whom, Kaidan had no idea. He couldn’t lie and say he’d never had those kinds of thoughts about Garrus; Kaidan did find turians pretty attractive, as aliens went. Something about the talons, and that stiff demeanor. The voices, too—especially, even. Kaidan had a thing for voices, and turians made anything sound hot with theirs.

“You ever do this with him?” Kaidan asked, as he rubbed his hands together, warming up the lube some more. He felt them guided to Thane’s shaft; it quivered as he slid slickness up and down the corkscrew ridges, and the drell sighed with pleasure at his touch. 

“Shower sex was never something I experienced, before. My condition precluded it, sensitive as my lungs were to moisture. Now that I’m functionally cured, however, certain individuals seem to want to make up for lost time,” Thane said, a faint hint of amusement in his tone. 

“Can’t say that I blame them. I was kinda hoping I could return the favor, though,” Kaidan said. He licked his lips suggestively, playfully flicking his tongue out in the direction of Thane’s voice.

“Mmm. As much as I would love it, perhaps another time. I’m not certain I’d be able to control myself,” Thane said. “But you may ring me up, if you wish.”

Thane grabbed one of Kaidan’s wrists, gently forcing his hand upturned, and Kaidan felt the cool touch of steel against his hot palm.

“Sure thing. Safety first,” Kaidan said, grinning. “Besides, I could do it blindfolded.” 

It wasn’t an empty boast, either. Damp mask still firmly held in place over his eyes, Kaidan reluctantly withdrew his hand from Thane, then held the ring tightly in his slippery fingers. He drew the others along its outer surface, until he found the familiar, slight indentation he was searching for. Then, he gently pressed into it, and heard the telltale buzz of kinetic energy activating, the barrier set. He bent down a little, reaching for Thane’s dick again, and pressed the ring against the tip; it was a bit too small, so Kaidan flicked the notch with his thumbnail, releasing the latch to expand it a bit. That time, it was the perfect size, and Kaidan eased it down past the tip, all the way down to rest snugly at the base of his shaft.

“That good, or you want me to tighten it?” Kaidan asked. He decided to slide his hand up and down some more. You know, while he was there.

“No, that’s fine. But set it to vibrate,” Thane purred. He took hold of one of Kaidan’s fingers, guiding it down to the ring—now unbearably warm against his scales—and slid it to a second indentation, an unseen holo button pressed, and then Kaidan heard a low humming sound, the titanium pulsing under his fingertips. Thane purred at it, low and deep, and Kaidan’s knees became a bit unsteady. He whistled then, realizing just what kind of barrier ring Thane had. They didn’t come cheap, either.

“You’ve got a Quicksilver?” Kaidan said, with a low whistle. “Those things are pricey.”

“Government contracting has its benefits,” Thane said, with a pleased sigh. 

Kaidan laughed a little. “Now you sound like Garrus,” he said.

“He’s been a poor influence, I suppose,” Thane said. Kaidan felt himself being drawn up, pulled into a kiss, hard and deep.

The movement that followed was sudden; with the deft swiftness of an assassin, Thane’s hands came up to grip Kaidan’s shoulders, and he nudged him around, turning him about to press face first against the wall; Kaidan lifted his arm, bracing against it. There was a repeat of the massage from earlier, but far less circumspect in its nature, openly sensual and erotic, hands rubbing down Kaidan’s back, kneading his tense muscles, stroking him with hands and tongue, kissing him, caressing him. Thane nudged his thighs a bit wider, and Kaidan readily complied; he arched his back a little, allowing Thane better access, and his unlikely lover took full and shameless advantage. Thane grabbed his ass hard, smoothing hands across his cheeks, and Kaidan felt a stinging smack against them, his supple flesh quivering with aftershocks. Again and again, Thane slapped and grabbed him, kneaded him, and then planted kisses, soothing his pleasantly stung skin with soft lips.

Kaidan gasped in delight, moaning against the wall, as he felt Thane’s tongue drawing down the small of his back, his cheeks spreading wide in Thane’s hands, and that wet, warm tongue drifted down his crack; up and down it went, teasing his entrance, licking him with abandon from one end to the other, before slipping inside him, probing deep. He cried out, overcome by a full body shudder of pleasure when Thane’s tongue found his prostate, rubbing hard against it in a deep, licentious kiss that went on forever, but then that lovely heat and friction were gone all of a sudden.

Thane’s hands weren’t, however. They kept kneading him, groping him, stopping only to dispense more lube; Kaidan sighed, feeling that thick, warm gel slide down his crack, following the trail left by Thane’s tongue, fingers drifting down with it.

“Your ass is exquisite,” Thane sighed, his rumbling voice choked thick with undisguised lust, as a hand squeezed and smacked Kaidan’s ass again, and the fused fingers of another were slick and warm, teasing circles around the inner entrance.

“Yours is pretty amazing too,” Kaidan murmured, smiling into his arm. “I’d like to—”

Kaidan’s voice was caught in his throat then, disintegrating into a languid moan as he felt Thane’s fingers ease inside him, rubbing him, gently stretching him. His implant spot grew hot with Thane’s breath, and pulsing, electric waves of desire shot through his body, when Thane’s lips and teeth followed. And he began to stroke himself again, arcing back into Thane’s fingering as he did, legs spread wide in brazen invitation.

Then both Thane’s hands spread him open, and he felt the slick, blunt head rubbing up and down his crack, teasing his hole; one hand dropped, likely to guide it, and Kaidan hissed with a sharp intake of air as he felt Thane penetrate him at merciful last.

“Am I hurting you?” Thane asked. 

The only reply Kaidan could give was an incoherent moan, when he felt the first spiral ridge rub him inside, in just the right spot. He felt Thane’s hands clutch his hips tightly, fingers digging into his flesh, and slowly he was filled, centimeter by thick centimeter, until he’d taken the length of him whole. Being filled so deep, Kaidan had been pushed to the brink, to the line between pleasure and pain, but pleasure won out in spades, once Thane began to glide out, then back in, with languid, hard strokes. Kaidan braced himself against the wall, resting his brow against his arms.

Thane’s voice was a low, flanged growl in his ear. “Is this what you wanted?” 

“Yes,” Kaidan hissed, bucking back against him, holding his own dick in his fist, pumping it in his hand, desperate for friction.

It began in earnest, then. Thane held onto his hips in a vice grip, riding Kaidan’s prone ass, thrusting in and out of him, hard enough to make it rise up with each stroke. Kaidan moaned against his arm, jerking himself off with the other, as Thane pounded him against the wall, his whole body singing with hedonistic bliss. Once in a while, his cheeks got squeezed and smacked like before, but the stinging was that much more visceral, with Thane’s thick girth stretching him in a pleasant ache. Over and over again, Thane’s dick surged into him, quickening his pace and then slowing, a swelling, rolling rhythm like crashing waves, and Kaidan gave himself over to it, losing himself in the sheer ecstasy of being fucked. He faltered in his pace, unable to concentrate enough to continue stroking himself, hips gyrating as he bucked back against Thane. It didn’t help that Thane’s moans were incredible. Kaidan didn’t have to wonder anymore about what the drell sounded like, when losing control; his ears were singing with it, and he felt a sharp bite on his shoulder, muffled cries in hot, ragged breaths against his skin. Where his own hand had faltered, Thane’s didn’t; he felt it slick and smooth, wrapping around his dick, jerking him fiercely as he was being ridden. 

It was too much, in the end, for Kaidan to take. He tensed up hard, his body stiffening, and cried out at last, the fulcrum of the night’s pleasure, of the solace Thane offered him, shooting hard out of his body, wrung out of him to the last ounce. Thane gave a last cry of his own, biting down hard, and shuddered against his back.

They stood there for a long moment, spent beneath the now-only-just-warm water, in silence, with nothing but the sound of drops splashing against their skin, the walls, water swirling down the drain, and their own tired, quickened breath. Every muscle in Kaidan’s body was loose and relaxed, uncoiled, and he trembled against the wall. Thane kissed him, where he was bitten; a dozen more followed, soft and gentle and soothing, along his shoulders, one end to the other. Not to arouse him, not this time.

There was too much affection in them for Kaidan to believe this was just about sex. Or maybe he was just fooling himself, with more wishful thinking…that, in and of itself, was enough to give him pause. Why did he need it to be anything else? A one night stand, to clear the air between them, kill off this lingering tension…that was enough, wasn’t it?

His heart sank, when he felt Thane pull off his back, but the sudden, strange pang of loss lasted only a moment. Gently, softly, he felt Thane’s hands on his shoulders, urging him back around, and Kaidan turned with them, still allowing himself to be guided, still content to trust in Thane’s hands. They lifted to his face once more, unveiling the mask from his eyes, lifting it from his head entirely. 

Thane was so damned beautiful, the sight of him nearly made Kaidan’s heart stop. He was panting a little, lips parted, his cheeks flushed a warm violet color from exertion, rivulets of sweat dripping down his brow. But his eyes…those big, pretty eyes were dark and shining and half-lidded. Thane leaned forward, tilting his head down and to the side, and found Kaidan’s mouth with his own, lips spreading against his, tongue slipping between his teeth. It was hot, and languid, and Kaidan wrapped his arms around him, clinging to him like a man drowning. Even when they came up for air, Kaidan held onto him, still, his eyes shut, brow resting against Thane’s cheek. He realized, then, that the need he’d felt didn’t vanish in a splatter on the wall. It wasn’t just his body craving sexual release, or even just physical intimacy.

It sure would have been easier that way, though.

He felt Thane’s hand brush his cheek, and opened his eyes, staring up into those green irises.

“Is your headache gone?” Thane asked him, an impish twinkle in his eyes, when he pulled up for air, and lightly grazed Kaidan’s temple with his fingertips.

Kaidan laughed. “You were just what the doctor ordered,” he said.

Thane smiled, and pressed his lips against each of Kaidan’s temple, by turns, then stroked his cheek with the back of his hand, knuckles brushing against his stubble. “I’m glad I could be of service,” Thane said.

The water was starting to get cold, then; gone lukewarm at some point, it wouldn’t even be that for much longer, Kaidan thought. He grabbed some random bottles of gel out of the tiny shelf nook under the shower head, and quickly washed up, with Thane doing much the same—though the drell forewent the shampoo, for obvious reasons. Somewhere in the back of Kaidan's mind, as he washed the last remnants of thick, old-fashioned pomade out of his hair, there was a part of him that was flat out baffled by what just happened. But that was drowned out by a real, pleasant kind of exhaustion.

Mostly, Kaidan just wanted to get some shut eye. Maybe he’d actually be able to, now.

He thought about curling up beside Thane, and felt his face grow warm again.

Thane followed him out of the shower, and located a pair of towels in the cabinet, tossing one to him. Kaidan stole glances here and there, as they were both drying off. It was hard keeping his eyes off Thane in general, then; maybe it was the afterglow. Somehow, he managed to get his sweats and tank top back on despite the distraction.

When Kaidan looked in the mirror, though, his hair was a wreck. A thick, unruly mess stared back at him, and here he was without his comb, which sat in the pocket of his uniform somewhere downstairs. But then Thane was there in the reflection suddenly, sauntering up behind Kaidan, dressed in his leather pants again and nothing else. He smiled, and ran his fingers through the back of Kaidan’s hair, helping him wrangle it into some semblance of order. It was oddly domestic, and there was a…rightness to it. It just felt right, like laying back in his arms on the couch, or what happened in the shower. The logical part of his brain wouldn’t have been able to make sense of it at all, or that he could easily get used to this, or that he even wanted as much.

Kaidan was glad he was too tired to care, or question it. Instead, he smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

“It’s no trouble. I find myself enjoying it,” Thane replied, returning the smile.

Kaidan’s turned a bit stupid then, and he even felt it, but it didn’t matter.

Fully clothed again, they exited the bathroom; fortunately Imani hadn’t come upstairs yet. That was definitely a conversation Kaidan wasn’t ready to have; he didn’t even know what to say, or what his feelings were even doing. He grabbed his sneakers and crammed the sleeping mask in his pocket, determined to hold onto that feeling of content, at least. With everything going in the war, worrying constantly about his students…he needed that solace.

They left for the elevator, returning to the crew deck in silence.

“Listen, Thane…” Kaidan started, while they made their slow descent—suddenly, he was thankful for how damned slow these things always were—but Thane pressed a single finger against his lips, hushing him, and shook his head.

“Not now, Kaidan. You need rest. I’ll be waiting for you, when you’re ready. You know where to find me,” Thane said.

One last kiss, achingly soft and tender, with the merest hint of tongue teasing between Kaidan’s lips, and then Thane left him, entering the door to Life Support by his lonesome.

Kaidan felt a little empty, wanting to follow him like some kind of lost puppy, but he knew Thane was right. He needed to figure things out. He needed sleep.

But he smiled a little nonetheless, striding down the corridor to his little nest in observation. Maybe Thane had cured more than a headache, in him. Kaidan wasn’t sure, just yet, but he was feeling better already.


End file.
